Lasting Attraction (Cassie Series) (15 page)

             
"Avery, do you know anything about this?" Her dad turns to me and asks, ignoring his daughter. I don't know the exact reason Cassie just blew up the way she did, but I'm sure it doesn't help matters any that he just asked me about his own child, who is standing in front of him. The whole situation just got twice as awkward and really, all I want to do is leave.

             
I clear my throat and look back to Cassie, who is pleading with those hazel eyes for me to follow her. I look back at her dad. "I'm sorry, its not up to me to tell you about your daughter. But with all due respect, I do believe you need to take some time out of your schedule to talk with her one on one. Pay attention to her life and the things going on in it."

             
Without so much as a glance in my mom's direction, I walk to Cassie, grab her hand, and walk with her out of the house. When we get in the car, I look to her and ask what that was about. She looks down, almost as if she was embarrassed by her outburst.

             
"That room is the only room my mom designed, and its the only room completely changed. There was our family portrait over the mantel, and now its a picture of your mom and my dad. I only saw one picture of me, and it was my senior picture over by the piano. Not even one of my dad and I. Plus, my dad never went into that room, ever, and now he is sitting in there comfortably. I'm sorry if it sounds childish, but it really bothered me a lot."

             
"It's not childish, angel. I understand completely. You just kind of took me by surprise in there, and I think you surprised everyone else too."

             
"Good," she mutters with her arms crossed, not looking in my direction.

             
I let her have her little fit. After all, she is pregnant, and I do remember that Aubrey was much worse than what Cassie seems to be.

             
I make a pit stop at the store and tell Cassie to hold on. She sits patiently in the car while I run in and grab two things of ice cream, some chocolate bars, and a bag of chips. When I get to the register, I buy a few scratch tickets and have him put everything in a paper bag.

             
She never questions what I buy, and when we get back to the apartment, I tell her to go get pj's on. I set up our little junk feast, grabbing soda from the fridge, placing it all on the floor in the living room. I run to my room, strip out of my jeans and my shirt, then sliding into a pair of gym shorts. I grab my comforter and two pillows off the bed and meet Cassie as she is coming out of the bathroom.

             
"I think I'm going to go to bed," she says, rubbing her eyes.

             
"Oh." I pause and she looks down at my pillows and comforter in confusion. "I just was hoping to have a movie night with you."

             
She looks up to me surprisingly. "Really?"

             
"Um, yeah?" I say as more of a question.

             
She grins largely. "Avery, you have no idea how much this means to me." My heart rate picks up momentarily between seeing her smile and hearing her being so excited by my simple gesture.

             
We sit on the floor and eat over half of what I bought, laughing and talking and actually enjoying each other's company completely. I give her the scratch tickets and she actually giggles in delight, happy over something so funny. She ends up winning two dollars, out of the twenty I spent, but I'm happy for her.

             
Once we're both full and exhausted, we lay together on the floor and become engrossed with the movie playing on the television. Before I know it, Cassie's arm is thrown over my chest and she is cuddled up next to me, breathing heavily while she sleeps. I watch her for a while before I'm also succumbed to sleep as well.

             
Each day passing since saying goodbye to Pierce has gotten easier. I have had Sara Evan's,
A Little Bit Stronger
on replay, because it gives me this unique power of moving on and being okay with what happened. I have only spoken to him once since we split up four weeks ago, and that was about two weeks ago. He actually showed up with a box of my stuff that was left at his apartment and I gave him his stuff that was left here. We had an awkward "catch up" conversation that lasted about three minutes before he left, and that was that.

             
Avery still lives with me, and a few times we've cuddled and hugged, even kissed more than a handful times, but the second it gets a little steamy between the two of us, I back off and stop it from going any further. I'm proud of myself for having the willpower, because I am desperately wanting more of him. I want to know that if we
do
end up together, its not because of the sexual chemistry. I want it because we actually love each other. We're testing each other’s limits, but in a different way. We're living together, and getting along well.

             
He tells me day in and day out, no matter what the outcome of the paternity test is, that he wants to be with me and only me. That part he has done well with proving, even though there will always be that little bit of self-doubt.

             
Aubrey and I have started getting a little closer again, which has been the best thing to happen to me in the past few weeks. Not that we were arguing or anything like that, we just distanced each other. Now that I think of it, I think it may have had to do more with me being with Pierce than with her being a new mom and wife, but maybe I'm wrong. Either way, we've set aside Tuesdays for us, no matter what, and we try to talk each day. It's nice to have my best friend back in my daily life rather than weekly.

             
Today is my last appointment before I find out the sex and the father of my child. Avery has been working with Mason in a garage, and although he has only been there three weeks, he took a half day today just so he could attend the appointment with me. It makes my heart swell every time he treats my baby like it's his. I hate referring to my baby as an
it
, but I hate fetus even more. I've heard others give their babies nicknames, but to me, I just can't. I've thought of names, but none are exactly unisex, or set in stone, so I haven't called he or she any of those. So sadly for now, its
my baby
or
it.

             
While waiting on Avery to come home, I decide to make some English muffin pizzas, loaded with sliced pickles. I make a root beer float as well, then sit down at the bar with my delicious food. Just as I'm finishing up, Avery comes in looking like the most scrumptious grease monkey there could ever possibly be. There is something about seeing him in that blue jumpsuit and having grease smeared all over his face and hands. It makes between my legs wet just at one glance. So I look away.

             
"Just gotta shower," he says as he walks past. He grabs the last bite of my English muffin and tosses into his mouth without another word.

             
Of course I just laugh at him and shake my head. After I rinse my sink in the dish and finish off the last of my float, I put my sandals on and wait patiently.

             
"Cassie!" Avery yells from the bathroom.

             
With a sigh, because I'm almost too content to move, I stand up and make my way towards the bathroom. I open the door just a little. "Yes?"

             
"I forgot a damn washcloth. Can you get me one?"

             
I grab a washcloth from the vanity drawer and toss it over the top of the curtain. "There you go."

             
As I'm walking out the door, he catches my attention. "Hey Cass?"

             
I pause with my hand on the door handle. "Yes, Avery?"

             
He chuckles softly. "Want to come wash the hard to reach places?"

             
I roll my eyes even though he can't see me, then I walk out, closing the door behind me without so much as a word. I can hear him laughing in the bathroom and I can't help the ridiculous grin on my face. Or the fact that was the most tempting thing I've had to walk away from in days. I'm in dire need of some new batteries.

             
Avery is all smiles today and he almost seems to have an extra skip in his step. When we get into the car, his knee bounces as he sings along to Darius Rucker. Seriously, this guy in all his masculinity- tattoos, grease and scars- and he loves to sing country music. Of course he has his flaws, but its no wonder I look past them all and just melt into the perfection that is Avery Manning.

             
When the song ends, he looks over at me without any embarrassment for his sexy dorkiness. "What has you all hyped up?" I ask.

             
His eyes roam my body for a quick moment before he looks at the road again. "What? I can't be happy?"

             
"Of course you can. I love when you're happy. I'm just curious what has you extra... peppy."

             
"Peppy?" he questions with a laugh. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

             
Of course when those words leave his mouth, I instantly worry. Could he have finally gotten some piece of ass elsewhere since I haven't given it up? Is he talking to someone? Is he going to start fighting again? Ugh, of course everything negative comes rushing to the forefront of my mind.

             
"Hey," he says softly, grabbing my attention again. I look over at him but I'm unable to smile like I was just seconds ago. His hand moves from the shifter to my leg and he rubs it before giving it a light slap. "Cheer up beautiful. Don't over analyze. I'm just happy, so smile."

             
I roll my eyes and turn up the music on the radio instead of arguing, then the two of us sing along to The Band Perry until we pull into the parking lot of the OB-GYN's.

             
Avery actually comes to the back room with me and holds my hand during most of the visit with my doctor. He even asks a few questions, including the embarrassing one, "
When will her sex drive kick up?"
Both Avery and the doctor laughed about it as my face turned a few shades of pink. He claimed he was kidding but I got the underlining meaning. Instead of being annoying about the situation, I just let it slide and continued on with the actual questions I did have.

             
Near the end, he goes over what will happen in exactly four weeks from now for the paternity testing. Just the thought of it, even being a month away, has me feeling depressed and nauseous.

             
Once we leave, Avery opens my door for me and lets me climb in, closing it before running around to his side. He slides in and gives my shoulder a little punch. "Cheer up sunshine. You should be excited."

             
"I'm scared, Avery." I look down at my hands laying limp in my lap, nervous about admitting things to him.

             
His hand grabs into one of my mine and his thumb runs along the back of my hand. "Me too, angel."

             
"Is it wrong of me to say that I hope the baby is yours?" I close my eyes as if it would hide me from the embarrassment of admitting that to him. I really want to dig myself into a whole when there is no answer right off, but I don't open my eyes and I don't repeat myself.

             
Without a word still, Avery slips his hand away from mine and I can feel tears starting to well behind my closed lids. I didn't expect that reaction at all. The car purrs as he starts it up, and I finally open my eyes, just to look out the window. When Avery pulls out of the parking lot, he doesn't head back towards the apartment, instead he heads in the opposite direction. I don't bother asking where we're going, because I don't think I want to know.

             
I close my eyes and allow myself to hum along to the radio, trying to ease my disappointment in Avery. No, not in Avery actually, but in myself. It’s my fault. It has been from the beginning. I wanted to be a slut. I wanted the college life. Freedom, sex, fun. Well with all that, I also got the realization that karma is a bitch, and has decided to burn my ass big time. I should have stuck with my plan and never fell in love. I should have just slept around, using condoms of course- not that I regret my baby- and I should have waited until after college and a few years of a career to fall in love. I should have been smarter about things. But I wasn't, and here I am.